During the 2026 WSOP, the Tournament Directors’ Association had its biannual meeting with many topics potentially on the agenda. Advanced Poker Training founder Steve Blay attended these meetings and came away with some notable observations. Beyond rule and conduct issues, a stylistic concern was addressed: should dealers pitch cards (the typical American technique) or slide them (the European method) to players?
What is Pitch Versus Slide Dealing?
In the American pitch style, the dealer holds the deck in one hand, then with the other hand pinches the top card between their thumb and index finger, then “sails” it low (hopefully) with a flick across the table to each player. In the European method (referred to as the Euro-slide, similar to basketball’s Euro-step), the top card is held flat against the felt, then pushed rapidly across to each player.
Why Does the Pitch Versus Slide Matter?
In most poker rooms, the primary difference between the techniques is the risk of accidentally exposing cards. The pitch method runs a greater risk with the dealer sailing the card a bit higher than intended. Some alert players may catch a glimpse and at least discern black versus red and the approximate rank of cards. Exposing a card may be a rare error, but there are certainly some dealers more likely to do so than others. Some dealers even like to add a flourish and intentionally launch cards high to entertain themselves and/or players. The slide method eliminates the possibility of exposure, as the card never leaves the felt.
In larger or higher buy-in events, the greater risk may lie with players actively trying to cheat. Concerns have been raised that microtechnology has advanced so much that cameras could be hidden in card protectors or wearable devices. While this risk may seem straight out of science fiction, cheating incidents have already been exposed.
What the TDA Decided
After much deliberation, the TDA came down on the side of the slide. Their recommendation is that dealers should be instructed in the slide technique and utilize it moving forward. Certainly, there will be some transition time, but the hope is that the slide will eventually be the standard.
Roadblocks to Implementation
Obviously, the largest hurdle to overcome with this new rule is the retraining of existing dealers. It’s not easy to unlearn a technique after hundreds or even thousands of hours of dealing. This will take time and money, and not all rooms will be willing to invest.
Additionally, not all felts are equal in their ability for a card to slide smoothly across the table. Some rooms may be faced with replacing their felts in order to comply with this new methodology. This is, of course, not an inexpensive proposal for large rooms with branded felts.
Final Take
Certainly, the move from the pitch to the slide is not the seismic change that, say, the big blind ante was. But anything that reduces the chances of cheating while not slowing down action is a good thing. There will be some growing pains with this change, for sure. But if the slide is standard in a few years, we’ll likely wonder why the pitch ever existed.
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